You could soon be TAXED for visiting Cornwall and Devon – ‘Seaside levy’ being considered

Holidaymakers have been warned that they could be taxed for visiting Cornwall and Devon after a tourism chief voiced his support for the scheme.

Malcolm Bell, the chief executive of Visit Cornwall said he could “certainly envision” a tax on tourists in the near future.

The “Cornish Tax” would see profits being made from more than four million people who visit Cornwall for a holiday each year.

Another 12 million people make day visits to the seaside county, according to a local committee report.

“It is a time to have the debate, not rush into action, engage with people and look at the art of the possible,” he told Cornwall Live.

Bell added that if Cornwall introduced a tax, then it should be applied alongside neighbouring Devon to avoid forcing tourists away from Cornwall.

He said: “There is no point in Devon not having one and us having one.”

It comes after Venice, Italy launched a levy for tourists in order to reduce crowds along its canals.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

Beautiful city that offers summer holidays for £400 is ‘a place everyone should see’‘They will rip you off!’ Expat in Portugal shares a restaurant warningVenice becomes first city to introduce ‘tourist tax’ in an effort to control crowds

Simone Venturini, the city councillor for tourism and social cohesion, hopes the scheme will help Venice find “a new balance”.

However, the five euro charge has faced backlash from visitors with some comparing Venice to a “theme park”.

In Cornwall, Bell said the tax must be used to directly fund business in the local area.

He said: “The normal argument would be we need some distribution of the money that already goes to the majesty’s treasury to instead go back into local levels.”

He added that he believes tourists would be happy to pay the tax if the money was going back into the local economy.

“We have 85 per cent repeat business in Cornwall – holidaymakers who regularly return would want the levy to help Cornwall and its residents,” he said.

“If holidaymakers want to contribute, if they think it’s going to the right cause, I wouldn’t mind.”